Exploring the 'dark' side of forest therapy and recreation : a critical review and future directions

Forest therapy and recreation (FTR) has become a popular mode for promoting physical and mental health and enhancing well-being in the recent era. However, reliance on forests exposes it to potential dangers, such as the impact of over-development on natural ecology, the threat of mosquito bites and poisonous plants to tourists' health, and the lack of attractiveness, which can be seen as the limitation or the ‘dark’ sides of FTR that restrict its sustainable development. Scholars have begun to pay additional attention on this subject matter, however, effective identification, management, and circumvention of these ‘dark’ sides is still limited. A comprehensive review of the ‘dark’ side of FTR is still limited. Therefore, this research reveals five themes of the ‘dark’ side of FTR through 140 collected publications based on thematic analysis, and provides an in-depth analysis of each theme. On this basis, research gaps of existing studies were revealed and future research directions were clarified, including: (1) low impact development; (2) smart monitoring; (3) strategies to improve safety; (4) empirical medical research; (5) social participation attraction; (6) multidisciplinary research approach; (7) differentiated development; and (8) standard certification. Findings of this research reveal a knowledge map of the ‘dark’ side of FTR, guide researchers to develop a new perspective to conduct related research and provide a platform for practitioners understanding the constraints on development and help taking preventive management measures.